Draft:Danilo Gerona

Ph.D Danilo Gerona
Born	Danilo 'Danny' Madrid Gerona July 18, 1960 Canaman, Camarines Sur
Citizenship	Philippines
Alma mater	University of the Philippines
Years active	1988—present
Spouse	Karen I. Gerona (m. 2008)
Children	3
Parents	Perfecto Gerona (father) Consolacion M. Gerona (mother)

Danilo "Danny" Madrid Gerona (born July 18, 1960) is a Filipino historian, professor and author. Internationally renowned for his book Ferdinand Magellan: The Armada De Malucco and the European Discovery of the Philippines (2015), he has published a wide catalog of history books on Spanish colonial era Bicol. His in-depth research on the unsungly represented municipalities of Bicol's provinces, most notably Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Albay, has lauded him local fame and influence among the academic sphere, exclusively writing about the cultural preeminence of Naga-based institutions such as Universidad de Sta. Isabel Inc. and Ateneo De Naga University

He is accredited to be one of the scholars in the Spanish archives publicizing Camarines' charter date of May 27, 1579 under the request of Former Governor Luis R. Villafuerte, commemorated annually through Camarines Sur's Kaogma Festival.

In 2015, he wrote his global hit-seller Ferdinand Magellan: The Armada De Malucco and the European Discovery of the Philippines, emboldening his eminence in the global academe of Magellan's circumnavigation, notably the outset of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines and in the Bicol Region.

Early life and education

Danilo Gerona was born in Dinaga, Canaman on July 18, 1960. His father was Perfecto Gerona, a guerilla veteran of the Pacific War, previously serving in the Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit, and his mother was Consolacion Madrid Gerona.

He attended elementary at Canaman Central School, then studying secondary school at University of Nueva Caceres. He originally had planned to pursue priesthood as a Jesuit, however, he reportedly reappraised a different vocation within the span of two years. Gerona recieved his Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA in Philosophy) studying at Ateneo de Manila University. He then gained his Doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D) at the University of the Philippines.

Career

He was previously the professor-director of Ateneo de Naga University's Institute of Bikol History and Culture. Presently, he is a full professor and the director of Partido State University's Magellan-Elcano Studies Center.

He has recieved numerous of awards bestowed upon him by the local municipal governments in Bicol and beyond, but Gerona holds three prominent accolades. Among these is the Kaogma Festival Hot Shots-Arts and Culture award, given by the Municipal LGU of Camarines Sur during the 6th Kaogma Festival in 2005, the Outstanding Bicolano in Civic Development awarded during the Dr. Melchor T. Villanueva Awards in 2007, and the Outstanding Bicolano Award awarded by the University of Nueva Caceres in 2016.

Style, themes and influences

Style

His writing style, contesting the often anecdotal bedrock of most Bicol histories, usually attests the credulence through reliable Spanish archival information. Gerona has researched within the confines of the Spanish colonial archives in Madrid, hence possessing a catalog of undiscovered evidence that is able to address fallacies marked as fact and to supersede it with his own acquired data. He is reportedly a polyglot, being able to speak Spanish, notably the archaic 16th century variant of Spanish, Portugese, and a diminutive knowledge on Italian, French and German.